Guest post by Alexandra Rothwell, MPH, RD, CSO, CDN, Dubin Breast Center, The Tisch Cancer Institute.
Here’s the truth: most of us eat too many carbohydrates (starch, sugar, etc.–it is all the same), and for most of us, cutting back on the breads, pastas, and sweets can help us reach our health goals.
I’m not advocating for an Atkins diet, or even a very low carbohydrate diet. I’m advocating for an appropriate carbohydrate diet. When I counsel women for weight management, I listen to what they currently eat and help them find easy and delicious ways to substitute some of the starch in their meals with healthier foods. Here are some of the best substitutions:
Pasta
The popularity of the spiralizer has made zucchini-spaghetti a well-known low-carb dish. For those of you without the space to store yet another kitchen gadget, keep that Barilla in the pantry! There are other options.
My personal favorite pasta substitute is roasted eggplant. There’s something starchy and comforting about it, without actually being starchy at all. I cut eggplant into cubes and roast it with olive oil in a 425 degree oven until tender. Topped with marinara and a bit of a salty cheese, it’s divine.
The other, classic pasta substitute is spaghetti squash. Cut it in half, bake it in the oven until tender, scoop out the stringy flesh with a fork, and top with your favorite sauce.
Rice
Here’s a gadget I do advocate for: a food processor. One of the many reasons for this is because it can turn cauliflower into rice.
The Kitchn has a great step-by-step guide for cauliflower rice, but it all boils down to throwing a few chunks of raw cauliflower into a food processor and pulsing until you’re left with rice-sized pieces.
To warm it up, sauté with a bit of coconut or olive oil in a sauté pan. Serve topped with sautéed bok choy, pan seared salmon, or my personal favorite, a little bit of butter and salt.
Things to Dip
Guacamole calls for a tortilla chip, cheese calls for crackers, hummus calls for pita…or does it? For your next party platter, provide the option of some healthier choices. I find they’re always the first to go! Brightly colored bell peppers cut into thick slices have a natural curve to scoop up chunky guacamole (and they look great on a plate). Slice apples and radishes into rounds to top with cheese, and serve hummus with a side of sliced carrots.
Sandwich
Honestly, nothing is really quite as wonderful as bread, but a healthy alternative is to roll your favorite sandwich fillings in lettuce and cabbage leaves or nori wraps.
Top a nori sheet with one or two large lettuce leaves followed by turkey slices, pesto, avocado slices, and alfalfa sprouts. Roll it all up, and eat it like a burrito, or slice into sushi sized pieces for easy biting.
If you’re not into the nori or lettuce thing but love your sandwiches, eat them open-faced, and skip the second piece of bread.
Mashed Potatoes
News flash: sweet potatoes are just as starchy as white. Many people think that sweet potatoes offer far superior nutrition to white potatoes, and while sweet potatoes may win out in certain nutrient categories, there are even healthier ways to mash up this well-loved side dish.
Cook and puree less starchy vegetables like cauliflower, parsnips, celeriac or any combination of these with olive oil or your favorite potato mix-ins.